Chapter 83: Noble Intervention
One of the people in the carriage disembarked, but the bright light from the lamp held by the coachman hindered Eirin’s eyesight. The man approached Eirin, his frock coat, tailored from the finest black charcoal wool, falling just above his knees. His dark, subtly striped trousers fell clean lines to meet highly polished black leather boots.
The man’s silver blonde hair was parted sideways gave Eirin an immediate hint of what standing the man holds. A noble. In this world where the hierarchy still existed, this man must hold a very high rank to appear so elegantly dressed and carry himself with such an air of authority.
"Are you alright, Miss?" the man said, his voice surprisingly gentle. Eirin’s eyes then landed on the woman behind him. Her ebony black hair tied in a romantic tuck. She wore a traveling gown made of broadcloth in the color of rich sapphire blue—standing out vividly against the muted mountain landscape. The graceful woman held an umbrella, shielding her companion from the sudden downpour.
"Oh dear," the woman murmured, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. "She’s a student of Senerra Academy." Her voice was soft, laced with genuine worry. "Are you alright, my dear?"
Seeing how both the man and woman showed her such concern made Eirin deeply wary. She could not trust people she had just met, not after everything she’d experienced.
"Dear, she must be freezing in this weather," the woman said. "Come now, let us go to our manor."
Eirin gulped. ’Manor?’ she thought, her suspicion deepening at the couple’s seemingly benevolent actions.
The man reached out to touch Eirin, but she flinched back, instinctively recoiling. "I apologize for that young miss. I almost forgot to introduce myself," he said, chuckling, his hand dropping. "I am Killan Laxford, and this is Beatrice, my wife. We are familiar with Senerra Academy because our son goes there."
Eirin’s brows furrowed, still doubting the couple, while the couple were confused after the teenage girl could not recognize them.
"We are here to help you, dear. Come now, you and you’re your little brother will get sick in this rain," the woman, Beatrice Laxford, urged, her voice soothing.
The sheer exhaustion weighing on Eirin prevented her from fighting back as the man, Killan Laxford, gently helped her into the carriage with Shade still cradled in her arms. "If I may ask, where are we going?" Eirin managed, her eyelids dropping, fighting a losing battle against sleep.